


Easy Way to Victory

by Kira_Dattei



Series: Moments Between Missions [13]
Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: BAMF Kaidan, Citadel DLC, Crew as Family, Established Relationship, M/M, Mission Fic, Prompt Fic, Slight Canon Divergence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-11
Updated: 2018-03-11
Packaged: 2019-03-29 21:39:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13935951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kira_Dattei/pseuds/Kira_Dattei
Summary: They are never letting Anderson order them to shore leave again if this is what they get for it. Assassination attempts, black tie events, murder, infiltrating Citadel establishments, and coming face-to-face with a clone is a bit much, even for the Normandy crew. And the clone knows the best way to get one up on the real Commander Shepard is through the people he cares about, one man in particular.





	Easy Way to Victory

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Rayi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rayi/gifts).



> *Nervous laughter* So here was the prompt given by the awesome Rayi: I was wondering if you possibly have any ideas to write something taking place during the whole clone story? I love that storyline, but I always thought it would've been cool for the clone to have some sort of interaction with the love interest, because he comments on the crew but he doesn't really comment on Shepard's relationship or uses it in any way against him.  
> Well, I got some ideas that took me on a 16k word ride. I hope you don't mind one-shots a bit on the longer side.  
> Don't get me wrong: this is definitely one of my favorite works in this series now. It was such a blast to write! I only hope everyone enjoys it as well. And the canon divergence is very minimal, as I was even checking the game for dialogue to keep it pretty close even if the setting wasn't exactly the same. So, without further ado, please enjoy!

“Well, if it isn’t the almighty Alenko!”

Kaidan actually startled at the booming voice of Wrex as the Krogan strutted into the back office of Shepard’s apartment where Kaidan had been working. Liara had asked for his, Tali, and EDI’s help to get through all the intel that Glyph had pulled up in tracing the weapon Shepard had gotten his hands on in that attack in the restaurant. Kaidan had moved back – retreated – to the office to actually get some work done as he calmed down from the brief firefight he’d jumped into.

Well, stumbled into. Wrex had jumped.

“You know, you missed out on all the action on Tuchanka,” Wrex continued on as if Kaidan had actually answered instead of just looking up at him. Oh well, Wrex interacted strangely with Kaidan all the time back on the SR-1 so why should 3 years make a difference?

“So I heard. I’ll schedule my skull getting bashed in a bit more carefully next time so we don’t get a repeat,” Kaidan replied as he sat back in his chair and away from the screen he was working on. It wouldn’t hurt them too much for him to take a few minutes with four people working through the data.

Wrex laughed at the statement. “You humans and your soft skulls. It’s a wonder you live longer than us.”

“We tend to not go around crashing our skulls against each other for one.” Another laugh from the Krogan and Kaidan admitted he’d missed the guy. It was always a relief to be around someone he didn’t feel like he had to second-guess.

Hell, even half the time he was dealing with his fellow crewmates, he was wondering whether or not they were being serious or messing with him. Sure, it was in good fun but his realistic nature was soon going to nosedive into pessimism if this kept up.

“Maybe you should take it up, especially if people are going to start knocking your head around anyway. Anything to keep you from missing out on all the great battles we’ve got going on back home.”

“And yet, you’re stuck here on the Citadel missing out on them, too.” Wrex gave him a dark look, now, like he hadn’t thought about it like that. Kaidan took advantage of the lapse and continued on before Wrex distracted him from what he needed to say. “By the way, I didn’t get a chance to thank you for the help at the lot. It would have taken a bit of work for Shepard and I to get the upper-hand back.”

Considering that if Shepard hadn’t pushed Kaidan out of the way when he had, the biotic would have been shot without a barrier active, things hadn’t been ideal for them when Wrex had taken out their attackers. It had been a close call, closer than they usually got, and Kaidan was surprised Shepard had kept his distance since they returned to the apartment. Sure, everyone was there, including a woman they knew very little about, but that didn’t always stop Shepard giving in to his more tactile side of loving Kaidan.

“Never thought I’d see the day where I got the only two human Spectres to owe me. You two are supposed to be such tough guys and you nearly get taken out by a couple guys in a sky car.”

“Yeah, we’re just disappointing all around, I guess.”

Wrex walked the last bit of distance between them and gave Kaidan’s shoulder a few rough smacks, knocking the human forward from the force.

Yeah, that’d be a bruise.

“Always happy to bust some heads in for my friends. So, now that the formalities you insist on trudging through are out of the way, how about you let me in on how long you and Shepard have been mated.”

Kaidan allowed the thought of what sort of reaction he might have given if he was anyone else, someone not well practiced in controlling what he emoted. As it was, he only felt his face flush a bit, more from how Wrex had phrased the statement than any embarrassment over being with Shepard. After all, between Garrus and James, there’d been plenty of innuendo thrown around concerning their relationship.

But “mated” gave some implication of there being something there they just hadn’t worked up to yet. He and John were taking their relationship at a comfortable pace, though there were plenty of people who would say it was on the slow side, them being about six months in and not far off from what it was like two months ago.

“What makes you say that?” Kaidan asked evasively to try and regain his composure.

Wrex gave him a look that made him wish he spent a bit more time around krogans so he could be better at reading expressions. Turians and asari had long ago become as easy for him to read as humans and he would have appreciated the assist here. “You’re supposed to be the smart one, right? You two reek of each other.”

Shit, Kaidan really needed to spend more time around krogans if he was forgetting their basic biology. “Right. You guys take all the guesswork out of sexual interest.”

“Much more efficient than the avoidance you two engaged in for months while chasing Saren down.”

“That’s not what happened.” Kaidan pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to dispel some of his embarrassment. Wrex might be better at this than Garrus. “Did you need something?” he tried for a distraction.

“You didn’t answer me.”

Letting out a sigh, Kaidan looked back up to the krogan. “About six standard months ago, shortly after the coup on the Citadel when I rejoined the Normandy. Sorry we forgot to include you in the announcement address sent to the galaxy where we let everyone know the great Commander Shepard was officially off the market.” Sometimes, Kaidan wondered if doing something like that would have been easier to deal with. Then he remembers what it’s like for Shepard to walk around on the Citadel and decides that nothing would make that much hassle worth the random awkward conversations.

He wasn’t embarrassed by being with Shepard, couldn’t even imagine that ever being an issue, but he _hated_ for his private life to be the subject of discussion. Hell, that was one of the best parts of his position, that it encouraged and demanded secrecy.

“Damn right, you should be sorry! Anyone who had to suffer through you two thinking you were subtle deserves to be the first to know you maled up and mated.”

“It’s ‘manned up.’ And we didn’t actually announce it to anyone. They did what you did and just figured it out so you can stop feeling left out. If you want to be all caught up on the gossip of the Normandy, stay in better contact with Garrus and Tali. I’d say Liara, but she’s got a fair amount professional courtesy on who she tells information to.”

Kaidan just barely caught himself referring to Liara as the Shadow Broker: he didn’t know if Wrex was aware and it wasn’t his secret to tell.

He wasn’t even going to try and correct Wrex on the whole dating vs. mated thing. He knew it’d just lead to him arguing the point or questioning why they weren’t to that point yet.

“Wrex, what’s taking so long? I only asked you to get Kaidan,” Liara’s voice called from the doorway a few seconds before she walked around the corner into view.

Kaidan rolled his eyes as he stood up. “Tactical error on your part, Liara. Or did you forget that he hasn’t actually seen me in about three years, shooting all possibility of him focusing all to hell?”

Liara paused and looked thoughtful for a brief second before actually seeming a bit embarrassed. “Oh, right. I guess I sort of did forget about that. I do have to remind myself that you were out of commission just after the beginning of all this.”

“Just like you forgot to mention when he and Shepard got mated!” Wrex interrupted, his voice a bit louder than Kaidan would have preferred. Anyone within a clear shot of the hall probably could have heard that if they weren’t distracted.

“Actually, they’re…”

Kaidan interrupted her before she could get any traction. “Not important right now, you two. Or did you forget the attempt on Shepard’s life we were supposed to be investigating?”

Liara looked a bit too coy for that to have the intended effect of getting them focused on what should have been priority: Kaidan figured he’d just encouraged Liara to talk in great detail with Wrex about his relationship once he was out of earshot.

For now, she seemed to get back on track. “We have something. Everyone is gathering in the dining room to go over what we have found concerning the weapon Shepard acquired.”

“Good. Let’s get on it, then.” He walked past Wrex and Liara with purposeful steps, not caring that it was basically a tactical retreat.

Hey, he didn’t get to where he was by not knowing when he should call it quits. And the sooner he was among more people, the less likely it was that he’d be singled out.

He heard Liara and Wrex fall into step behind him as he headed toward the kitchen, noting with some relief that they weren’t waiting on him as Joker, Garrus, and James were looking through the bar. Kaidan shook his head a bit with a slight grin at the guys’ choice of pastime.

As he turned the corner into the kitchen, he spotted Shepard leaning against the counter talking to Tali. When he glanced over and saw Kaidan approach, he reached back to grab something off the counter before nodding Kaidan over. The biotic approached a little cautiously: he’d been laying on the teasing pretty heavily since joining up with Shepard in the car lot, so it was entirely possible that Shepard couldn’t be trusted. But once he was close enough, he realized that Shepard was just handing over a pair of protein bars, the ones made for a biotic’s metabolism that Shepard had started keeping at the apartment not long ago.

“It’s past time for you to be snacking, especially after a biotic heavy battle,” Shepard said easily enough.

Kaidan stepped close enough to take the bars, with Shepard reaching around to take hold of the back of Kaidan’s neck once his hand was free. He put enough pressure into the hold to release tension around Kaidan’s amp with practiced ease. He pulled Kaidan in a bit closer so he was standing right at Shepard’s side, their shoulders brushing. The biotic took the hint and settled into the spot, leaning his hip against the counter as he opened one of the bars.

“Thanks,” he said, nodding to Tali with a friendly smile. The silhouette of her eyes were shifting between him and Shepard and he thought he could see a smile in what little he could make out through her mask. “What?” he asked.

“Oh, nothing,” she responded and her tone told Kaidan he should have let it slide. “I was just unaware of how helpless you were without Shepard to look out for you.”

Shepard barely managed to catch his snicker, turning away to conceal his expression from Kaidan, who turned a glare on him before looking back to Tali with only slightly less of a dirty look.

He wondered if this is what they’d always get for being attacked while on shore leave. They weren’t usually _this_ bad while there was a threat, focusing in a bit more while still being on guard. Or maybe it was because they were in the unusually comfortable atmosphere of Shepard’s apartment, which was in a very secure area of the Citadel.

“He’s just not as useful when he’s close to passing out from malnutrition,” Shepard said before Kaidan could come up with a retort. “And, he did so good on staying alive out there, even stuck with stealing firearms, that I figured he deserved a treat.”

It wasn’t his fault that he’d been stuck in the old armor he had stashed in his quarters on the Citadel, not having the time to go back to the Normandy for his usual armor set. Old armor meant none of his battlefield supplies or firearms.

“They grow up so quickly,” Tali continued.

“You’ve been hanging out with humans too much, Tali,” Kaidan declared. “Did he tell you about how he didn’t think to _ask_ the salesman in the car port to open the gate? Since we’re talking about competence in the field. We’re just looking for a way out and he’s ready to shoot at a civilian.”

“I was going to shoot out the window, not at a civilian,” Shepard defended as Kaidan took a bite of the bland protein bar to show his nonchalance that he was trying to recover.

He then turned back to Tali and told her, “Never attack Commander Shepard when he’s on shore leave. He loses all subtlety and ability to act on a small scale. Forget hacking a door, everything gets solved with bullets.”

Tali was shaking with laughter now as Shepard looked back to Kaidan. “Says the guy that flirted with me even though he’s seen me out of armor and uniform plenty of times.”

“Don’t need that pointed out, thank you!” James’ voice startled Kaidan as he walked by behind him toward the table past where they were standing. At least he hadn’t actually jumped like he had with Wrex earlier.

He was still very on edge to be reacting this starkly to people not being where he expected them to be.

And Shepard’s gaze had quickly turned toward James and his body had tensed as well, so at least Kaidan wasn’t the only one.

James turned around to face them as he found the spot he wanted and grinned. Kaidan turned back to Shepard just as the man gave a smirk and moved in closer to Kaidan, his arm slinging over the biotic’s shoulders as his front pressed against Kaidan’s side.

“What’s the matter, Vega? Jealous that you’re not the one this badass with the fantastic ass is hitting on?” he chided and Kaidan felt his face flush a very deep red.

Deciding enough was enough, Kaidan focused on his biotics. He worked quickly on building up a certain form of charge that was a little different than the normal field that surrounded him when he was utilizing his biotics. Once he felt the crackle of energy make the hairs on his arms stand up, he focused it around Shepard’s hand and released it in a controlled discharge, making the Commander yelp out a “Shit!” as he pulled his hand away from the slight jolt he’d been given. He then started shaking his hand out to try and get the feeling back.

James had exploded in laughter and Tali was leaning against the island with her own laughs and Brooks had peered around the doorway into the kitchen, keeping her distance but watching what was going on, mostly in confusion if her expression was anything to go by.

That poor analyst had no idea of the people she was dealing with.

“Maybe think things through just a bit more next time, Commander,” Kaidan stated before he walked away to the opposite side of the table, picking his spot and just barely managing to keep a straight face.

He’d warned Shepard that he didn’t appreciate comments that called attention to their sex life being made in public.

Sure, maybe he’d sort of brought it on himself by letting himself get distracted by Shepard in combat out of the confines of his armor, but that didn’t mean Shepard had to take advantage of the opening, especially with Vega.

To his credit, Shepard gave it a few minutes before he tried to approach Kaidan again. Liara was taking more time than expected to gather everyone and present what she’d found, so there obviously wasn’t anything extremely time-sensitive about what she found.

She sure hadn’t shown much urgency when she’d gone to get Kaidan.

But with James distracted by hitting on Brooks – and not being too crass in doing so – Shepard obviously felt that was sufficient to try and make amends. He sure walked up at a cautious enough pace, gauging Kaidan’s expression as he stepped up next to him, turning his back to the rest of the apartment to focus solely on the biotic.

“Sorry that I went too far with James,” the man said in a low tone.

Kaidan looked over to Shepard, taking in his genuine expression and anxiety over the prospect of Kaidan staying pissed at him. The biotic, whose temper had passed quickly enough as was usual for his easy-going nature, allowed the corner of his mouth to quirk up in a show of his amusement. It wouldn’t be the first time they’d gone through a quick shift in tone and emotion so Shepard followed along easily enough.

“Has feeling returned to your hand?” Kaidan asked.

Shepard held his hand out a bit, clenching it into a fist a few times as if only thinking to check now that he’d been asked.

“Yeah, I got feeling back quickly enough. I didn’t know you could do that.”

Kaidan grinned as he reached out and took John’s hand in his own and squeezed it a few times, taking a step closer so he was well within Shepard’s space. “You say that a lot. I thought you’d learn the lesson in there and actually ask me for a rundown of all I can do.”

Shepard grinned back at him, his expression taking on a bit of heat he usually reserved for when they were truly alone. “I feel like it’d be a bit disingenuous to make you list everything. I’ll appreciate it all the same finding out as we go.”

“Such a charmer.”

“By the way, it was nice seeing you in action on the car lot. It was…pretty hot.”

Kaidan’s grin widened a bit at his partner’s admission. Considering how he hadn’t been able to restrain his distraction in the moment, it was a bit of a relief that Shepard had been similarly affected, even if he had held off on commenting on the fact.

“Why, thank you,” he responded, allowing a bit of smugness to bleed into his tone. No matter who it was, taking down enemies with just his biotics wasn’t something he did very often and it was something he should be proud being capable of accomplishing, let alone with the ease he’d had.

And John squeezed his hand just a bit tighter before lifting Kaidan’s hand to his lips to give his fingers a few light kisses. “What would I do without you?” he asked.

Kaidan wondered if that was something Shepard asked himself sometimes considering how closely and regularly they worked together. Whether it was in combat or going over files in Shepard’s cabin before they turned in for the night, they were so often falling into a natural rhythm that Kaidan sometimes couldn’t remember having to do without.

How had he made it those two years Shepard had been dead and then the following year of the man working for Cerberus? And in those years, he’d been fast-tracked up the ranks to be put where Anderson and Hackett wanted him, thriving wherever he ended up.

Maybe thriving wasn’t the right word as what he’d had for a personal life could probably be considered insulting to the term.

He wouldn’t be able to handle that again and come out as well as he had before. His heart could only take so much and he was so much deeper with John this time around. And he would do anything he could to make sure John wasn’t on the receiving end of that kind of suffering. The man certainly didn’t deserve to know what that felt like.

“You’ll never find out.”

John’s somewhat playful grin softened to a fond look, the deep affection he had for Kaidan showing through as strongly as it ever had. He let go of Kaidan’s hand and grabbed hold of his neck as he had a short while ago. He pulled Kaidan in close and gave him a short but emotional kiss.

“And you call me a charmer. I love you, Kaid.”

What might normally have been said as a joke between them was said very seriously and Kaidan smiled again at how John let himself get caught up in the moment like that.

They really did make for a good match as Shepard would often say. And not that Kaidan was disbelieving of it, he just admitted that there were moments like this where it was a bit more apparent.

He gave John a kiss just like the one he’d received, whispering against the man’s lips, “Love you too, John.” He pulled away then, making sure he kept a gentle expression to convey that he wasn’t closing down. “Too bad we’ve got work to do.”

A bit of frustration flashed in Shepard’s eyes before he let go of Kaidan’s neck. “Someone _will_ be getting shot for this level of interruption. We had plans we were supposed to be engrossed in by now.”

“Just make sure it’s someone who deserves it,” Kaidan responded smoothly enough as Liara came into the kitchen with the rest of the crew following behind to move toward the table so they could get to work.

 

* * *

This wasn’t how Shepard had expected their recon to go.

Their lead dead before they could ask him anything, a source of intel they might not be able to get a lead off of, and a brief conversation with whoever it was behind the whole attack on him would probably seem like a lot to some but was still less than Shepard had wanted. So, after Kaidan had pulled the drive – Brooks looking sullen about not getting to do it herself – EDI and Liara covering up everything they’d done there, and then the three of them beating a hasty but subtle retreat from the party and to head for the car lot to head back to the apartment.

Brooks had taken the controls as Shepard followed Kaidan to sit in the back as he had already been engrossed in his omnitool, making notes as a way to try and process and organize what they’d learned so far.

He was just finishing up his call to the apartment to get everyone caught up on what had happened so they could just get straight to work once they arrived instead of having to worry about a debrief.

They were already having enough issues with keeping focused.

“Cortez, can you head over to the Normandy with Vega?” he asked of the Lieutenant as he was getting ready to close the comm. Kaidan was listening in, Shepard having kept him patched in through the duration of the party. He didn’t look like he was really paying attention, but Shepard knew the Major wouldn’t be ignoring anything as he needed to know what orders were being given.

“What for?” Cortez’s voice responded.

“I have a feeling we’re going to be needing our gear before we’re done with this. And as fun as it was facing off against fully armed and armored guards in civvies, I’m not looking for it to become a regular occurrence.”

“I wouldn’t even want to do it in my uniform,” Kaidan interjected absently, getting a chuckle from Steve and Shepard felt himself grin as well.

“You got it, Commander. It shouldn’t take too long unless no one stows their gear correctly,” the Lieutenant replied and Shepard closed the link.

He closed down his omnitool as well, letting out a heavy sigh as he leaned his head back against the seat.

It was times like this where he wondered if he’d be better off not caring so much about saving lives. Khan wasn’t a good man and the Citadel was most definitely better off without the shadier side of his business operational. But that didn’t mean that Shepard was really okay seeing him executed like he’d been just for the sake of one person covering their tracks. Hell, if Shepard was a different man, let his morals be a little darker – like so many other kids that had grown up on the streets with him – he would have been the one to pull the trigger. But that wasn’t who he was, and so he had to deal with what many would consider pointless guilt nagging at the back of his mind.

Having Brooks around, an outsider to his crew and how they worked together, was making him think about what others saw of them.

A nudge against his leg caught Shepard’s attention and he looked over to the man beside him.

Kaidan really did make for an attractive figure in that suit. Shepard had never seen the man dressed up for anything: he saw him in uniform, in armor, and lately with increasing frequency casual clothes. But Shepard thought that while Kaidan pretty much always looked good, this clean cut and proper attire suited him better than it did Shepard.

Strange how the same clothes looked completely different just by being on different men.

“Nothing we could have done, John,” Kaidan said in a low voice, Shepard just barely able to hear him over the hum of the vehicle. It was obvious the biotic was attempting to keep this as much between the two of them as possible and from a lack of attention from Brooks, it might have worked. She may hear them talking but may not be able to make out what was being said.

And Shepard really did appreciate that Kaidan knew he wasn’t good with how things had went down.

If nothing else, there was one thing that meant more than words could express that his personality as it was had granted Shepard and that was the love of Kaidan Alenko. There was no way Kaidan would have fallen for him if he didn’t value life.

So, Shepard knew his expression had reflected the affection he held for Kaidan as he leaned just a bit closer so he could respond in the same low tone.

“I know. I’m just disappointed that I didn’t get a chance to see that ‘good cop/bad cop’ routine you were talking about.” Kaidan’s mouth quirked up to a small grin. Shepard reached out, running his fingers through Kaidan’s thick hair to massage at the back of his neck. “And I was on such a roll in finding out new things about you, all to get thrown off by a dead body.”

Kaidan shrugged and responded in an easy-going tone that Shepard thought was entirely too hot, especially considering the subject matter. Kaidan really made for quite the image when he was displaying his confidence. “Wouldn’t be the first time I’d have to be tough on questioning someone. And it’s not really as impressive as I’m assuming you’re thinking it is. Walk around imposingly, flash the biotics a bit, bend something nobody’s going to immediately miss while spouting some suggestive dialogue, then bust the strategically placed glass of water and suddenly they can’t talk fast enough. Though I haven't had to do that with biotics so not sure what my routine would be then.”

Shepard had thought this before, usually when Kaidan had beat him to sleep and he'd be watching him, trying to keep himself from doubting that the risk of being this close to someone he could lose at any mission was worth it: Spec Ops had been the best thing that could have happened for Kaidan. It had helped him get past those last insecurities that BAaT had instilled and let him become someone worth being followed by others.

There was some hope that Shepard had helped Kaidan find that confidence, but he knew most of the change happened in the time they were apart. Maybe he'd at least made Kaidan more open to the changes, at the very least.

He gave one last squeeze to the warm – but thankfully not tense – skin of Kaidan’s neck before letting go to cross his arms. “Now you’re just being cruel, teasing me with the thought of the image that would make,” he replied, half-serious.

Kaidan gave him a tolerant look, though Shepard saw the amusement he was used to picking out in his eyes and the lines around his eyes. “How the hell are you still acting like seeing me in the line of duty is some rare spectacle?”

“It’s not that it’s a spectacle. It’s just still hot as hell. You better just get used to hearing it because it’s not something that’s going to change anytime soon, and I plan to comment on it whenever I can get away with it.”

“I guess I might handle that, no matter how ridiculous it is.”

“You’re such a reasonable guy.”

Kaidan gave a low chuckle before turning his attention away from Shepard, watching the buildings pass as he obviously settled into deep thought, likely working through things as Shepard already had. They had different approaches when they were processing information and Kaidan tended to let it settle for a bit longer than Shepard.

They stayed silent for the rest of the trip back to the apartment and accepted the crew’s greeting as they made their way back toward the dining room to figure out their next move.

It was when they split off for everyone to get changed into their armor – with Vega making sure to eat as much pizza as he could get down – when Kaidan followed Shepard upstairs with his gear that he let out a bit of a sigh knowing they’d get a bit of privacy. They hadn’t had a minute just to themselves since before this shit started.

They headed straight for the bedroom and Shepard tossed his own bag onto the bed and started working loose the buttons of his shirt as Kaidan turned into the closet. A minute or so later, Kaidan walked back out into the bedroom as he was settling his layer of under armor into place and zipping it up. He was running his fingers through the line of the collar to make sure it was in place as he grabbed his bag and walked over to sit on the bed as he started pulling out the pieces of his armor.

He chuckled lowly before stating, “Whatever Steve is making, we should see about increasing it. He deserves it, no matter how much it is.”

Shepard laughed as he opened his own bag and saw how nicely his own gear was stowed. “Maybe we’ll give him Vega’s share.”

They stayed quiet for another minute as they went through the familiar motions of putting their armor on, clasping it into place, and checking to make sure they had all their supplies.

Shepard finished first, Kaidan having a bit more supplies to check as a field medic, and he spent the difference watching the biotic. Kaidan was aware of his gaze, having glanced over at regular intervals and noting when Shepard had finished and shifted his focus.

“It’s been a long time since we were all hands on for a mission,” Kaidan suddenly mused as he was giving the final check on all the clasps. “I guess that’s what we get for having a larger and very proficient crew.”

Shepard laughed as he moved his bag to the side and sat down on the edge of the bed close to Kaidan. “It’s almost too difficult to figure out where to put everyone.”

“What, do you need help figuring out what makes for a good team without you on it?”

“Well, I am the almighty Commander Shepard. I’m hard to replace.”

“I’d say nearly impossible to replace.” Shepard was actually a little surprised at how easily Kaidan said that. He didn’t even finish off with a show of embarrassment as saying something so sappy. He just continued on talking smoothly. “The place is likely to be huge. Three teams should do it. We’ve got enough skill between us all for that to be effective while not being spread too thin.”

Shepard nodded agreement, his mind now working through his crew to figure out who would work best together as well as who would be ideal team leaders. He was filled with a sense of pride as he had the thought that any of them could lead a team effectively. But, in this case, experience would be key.

“Yeah, three teams would be good. I’ll ask Liara to take lead of one team and I want you leading the other.”

Kaidan looked over to him, a bit of surprise there. “That’s not where I thought you’d want me.”

“What, you thought I’d rather have you chained to watching my back? As far as experience in leading squads goes, you’re far beyond everyone else. Maybe Wrex can contend, but leading the krogans is a bit different and I think he’ll do best with me. Besides, I sort of miss having him around.”

Kaidan gave him a smile before looking thoughtful. “Then I’ll take Vega and Javik.”

It was Shepard’s turn to be surprised. “Why go for the difficult ones?” he asked. Kaidan was just about Javik’s least favorite crew member and James loved to mess with the Major, even on missions.

“I figured you were going with Garrus to even out your team.” Well, that was disturbingly correct. “From what Glyph has provided about the archives already, you and I should have some ease of access because of our Spectre status, so we shouldn’t need any hacking beyond what I can handle. And Tali and EDI together will pack quite a punch in a fight.

“Besides, it’s not like James has any issues following orders when I give them. And Javik may prefer you, but we haven’t actually had any problems while on mission. Hell, it’s been weeks since he accused me of being a primitive undeserving of the mental capacity necessary to control my biotics.”

“You really don’t think putting Liara, Tali, and EDI together wouldn’t be overkill?”

Kaidan gave him a disbelieving look as he crossed his arms. “Just like putting you, Garrus, and Wrex together isn’t overkill? If we’re thinking about being fair to the guys trying to kill us, we shouldn’t be going in teams.”

“Good point. But I’ll take the safety of my crew over fairness toward people trying to kill us all.”

“I figured as much.” Kaidan stood up and stretched out, using mobility as the final check on his armor before he activated the magnetic holsters and reached into his bag for the pistol and assault rifle to put them in place.

Shepard stood and moved in closer to Kaidan, placing one hand around the man’s waist while the other took hold of his neck. It had become a preferred hold for him, loving that Kaidan trusted him to be so close to such a vulnerable area. He knew that as much as he massaged out Kaidan’s neck, the wrong pressure could cause so much pain around the implant that it would essentially shut him down for a few minutes. Shepard had practically internalized the wrong angles so he’d never be the reason Kaidan was in pain.

For his part, Kaidan let out a sigh and leaned against Shepard, pressing his forehead against the side of Shepard’s cheek as well as he could with the collar of his armor rising up around his neck.

This was why they usually tried to get this part of the pre-mission process between them out of the way before they got suited up. This tended to get more frustrating than satisfying.

“Stay safe, Kaid,” Shepard said in a quiet voice against the skin of Kaidan’s temple.

“You too, John. Just because we’re all there doesn’t mean this is any less dangerous.”

Anyone who didn’t know them would have thought this was contradictory to what they’d just been saying. But there was a time for half-serious statements about how talented the Normandy crew was and it wasn’t in this moment where they weren’t Commander and Major, where they were speaking just as two men who were completely in love with each other and about to step into a situation where one might die. Hell, they could lose any of their friends because of one well-placed bullet in the second it took for a kinetic or biotic barrier to recharge.

It was something all the Normandy crew shared: they made light of a lot while understanding completely what they were up against, how any one of them who went on mission might not return that day. Their memorial wall was proof enough. But focusing on it was dangerous, distracting, and they needed to operate as though it wasn’t an issue.

Shepard wasn’t going to make it easy for another name to get added to that wall. Too many were there already.

He’d protect the people he cared about.

He’d protect the man he loved.

He placed his lips against Kaidan’s temple, then followed the line of his sideburn and little bit of stubble toward his mouth. Once there, he pressed in insistently, sliding his tongue past Kaidan’s lips to take a taste of the familiar. He felt the weight of Kaidan’s hands on his shoulders, barely there because of the armor, but Kaidan was putting enough strength into the hold to make the grip known.

It wasn’t an easy task to back off, Shepard coming right back in for another kiss once one ended, repeating that circle three times. This sort of thing happened when Shepard had to hold himself back until they were in a private setting. And this time there was that undercurrent of them both going on mission but still being separated, which wasn’t so common.

Shepard had faith in Kaidan, in his skill in battle, but that meant jack shit to being concerned about them being taken by surprise _again_ in the upcoming fight. Because this whole debacle had been anything but standard and that was starting to get to Shepard.

“Focus, John. We got good at not letting this keep us from doing our jobs while right next to each other. This shouldn’t be any harder.” Kaidan spoke with his lips still close to Shepard’s, so he wasn’t in any greater hurry to see them bring this exchange to an end.

Shepard heard him, he really did. And of course Kaidan was right, but that didn’t mean it was enough. Maybe he’d settle down once they got in the thick of it, but for now, he’d set a ground rule. “Keep your comms open. Don’t stop talking to me. That’s what I’m used to.”

“You got it, Commander.”

Even that helped a bit, that reminder of that line they’d agreed to.

Yeah, he’d be fine once they were at the archives and making their way through hostile territory. It was just this bit before getting shot at where Shepard had trouble keeping his imagination and the “what ifs” at bay.

He was always best in combat, but at least he was getting better about the rest of the time now that he had someone to keep his mind occupied, someone to help him see that he could be important to at least one person regardless of what his reputation said.

He gave Kaidan one last brief kiss before pulling away, turning to grab his bag and sort out his weapons before setting them to their magnetic holsters.

“Alright, let’s get to work, Major.”

* * *

“Okay, I know Shepard said he didn’t want to talk about the whole ‘he has a crazy clone’ thing, but how about you?” Vega suddenly said from where he was covering the rear.

In working their way through the expansive archives, they’d lost sight of the other squads nearly ten minutes ago and were only getting regular check-ins every three minutes as designated by Shepard. There’d be the echo of gunfire sporadically to break up the silence and their own fights, but that was it.

It was getting to Kaidan on some level, though he was doing a fair job of ignoring it.

And while his Spectre status had made progressing through the facility laughably easy, there were still those doors, like some offices and maintenance areas that Kaidan had still needed to hack, like the one he was working on now.

“Why should I have something to say about Shepard having a clone?” Kaidan responded absently, most of his focus on his omnitool and letting Vega have his fun.

“You two are mated, are you not?” Javik asked, surprising Kaidan in that he joined in.

“What’s with everyone saying we’re ‘mated’. That’s not a human thing. We’re dating and I know we’ve said as much.” He might not be angry about the term, but he didn’t really handle having to repeat himself too well, especially when the mission was being more on the stressful side.

“Mated, dating, killing time before one or the other pops the question, same difference,” Vega said.

“I certainly do not understand what you are saying to be different. The two of you always reek of one another in a manner similar to that of paired mates.”

It wouldn’t be right to Throw one of the people he was supposed to be in command of. It was generally frowned upon to use offensive biotics against allies.

His comm sounded a low tone to announce an incoming signal just before Shepard’s voice came through. “Hammerhead, check in.”

“Still working our way through the archives. All good here,” Kaidan answered, happy that Vega seemed content to let him do his job for the moment. “Anything on your end?”

“Not really. He’s got plenty of guys to send at us, though. We haven’t hit any mechs yet, so there’s that little break.”

“The facility may be big, but there might not be a great place to bring the mechs inside. It’s mostly an office style building and those aren’t usually made with loading bays.”

“We can hope. Watch yourself, Major.”

“You got it, Commander. You too.”

The comm went quiet and Kaidan could just about feel Vega’s eyes on him. “Careful, there, Major. You sounded just a bit too fond there,” Vega teased. Kaidan turned away from his omnitool for just a few seconds to give the Lieutenant a cold look. “Well, you never answered me. What’s it like knowing that there’s another Shepard out there trying to steal the Normandy right out from under us?”

Kaidan let out a sigh just as the lock released and he set his omnitool back to scanning for life signs and drew his assault rifle back out in front of him.

“That guy’s not John. Hell, he isn’t even Commander Shepard. He’s something Cerberus cooked up to help the Illusive Man get what he wanted,” Kaidan declared. “I don’t care what the DNA says: he’s nothing like the real man.”

Vega let out a short laugh as he stepped up to Kaidan’s right as the Major entered the room, making a visual sweep. “He’s definitely more into the insults than our Commander. Good thing Shepard had the two with the thickest skin on the receiving end of that encounter.”

”Yes, being held at gunpoint where we’re of no use is the better place to be,” Kaidan muttered, making sure he was quiet enough to not be heard by Vega or his comms to deliver the message for him. He spoke up then as his omnitool pinged an alert for approaching life forms. “Back to work. Next wave is about it hit.”

They moved along the wall through the office area, making sure they didn’t stray too far from cover with Kaidan taking point, not a position he was as accustomed to.

About halfway through the room, one of the doors across the room opened and yet another handful of enemies came in, firing on them immediately. Vega and Kaidan opened fire as Javik charged his biotics and then released a Slam to really give them the advantage. Because of the thick armor, the impact wouldn’t have the same impact as using it on the Reapers’ mutations, so Kaidan followed it up with a few well-placed Reaves. Vega took out the rest that hadn’t been caught up in the biotic field.

They approached the bodies, checking to see that they weren’t missing any that could be a problem later. Clearing the room, Kaidan confirming with a scan on his omnitool. They then cleared the rest of the room easily enough, coming to another door that automatically initiated a scan, so Kaidan figured it was one that he wouldn’t have to hack.

After a few seconds, the voice announced “Spectre clearance accepted. Access granted, Spectre Kaidan Alenko.”

Kaidan kneeled off to the left of the door as Javik took the right side and Vega stood behind the prothean. Kaidan took a quick glance through what he could see of the next room, then stood and moved forward at not seeing anyone.

He was just through the doorway, sweeping the room and about to move to the side for one of the others to come up on his left when he heard the doors slide shut behind him. He reacted immediately, activating a Barrier as he dropped down to his knee and looked for the threat.

His comms crackled a bit with interference as he heard Vega call out through them, “Alenko, you alright?”

“Fine, but something’s interfering with the comms,” he replied.

He was within range of the sensor for the door’s scanner and if the clearance access was still the same, it wouldn’t have closed with him there. And he’d heard the lock engage when it shut. Hacking the door was an option, but was it the best one? It was never a good idea to be stuck hacking while there wasn’t someone around to watch your back and he was already on the more dangerous side of the door, being where they hadn't cleared yet. So, he’d take the immediately safer but potentially more dangerous option. He could handle it, and so could his squad mates.

He looked around for somewhere less exposed, settling for a support beam a few meters off to his left, moving towards it while keeping up a constant sweep of the room. Just because no one was shooting at him didn’t mean they weren’t there. And he wasn’t going to dismiss the possibility that they’d made sure to wait until he’d set himself up to be separated from his squad.

Leaning his back against the beam, crowding in as close as he could, he activated his omnitool and connected with Vega’s.

“Lieutenant, I’m sending you the floor plan and the hacking protocols I’ve been using. There’s another route that should take you closer to Mako squad and if you run into them, stick with them. I’ll converge with you guys at the marked destination.”

The interference was getting stronger and Kaidan couldn’t say how much got through. “…don…e sh…st…up o…ng w…ou.” What Vega was saying was barely discernible now so Kaidan typed out his order on his omnitool and forwarded it to both Vega and Javik along with the plans.

His omnitool beeped with the receipt of a message back from Vega.

**_Yes, sir. Don’t die. I couldn’t explain it to Shepard._ **

Kaidan smiled a bit at that image: Vega stumbling over trying to tell Shepard why he let Kaidan order him around in a way that got the Major killed. He then took in a deep breath and focused back in to his side of the door. He switched over to his pistol, the weapon being more ideal for use in conjunction with his biotics and stepped out from behind the beam. He didn’t raise a Barrier, but kept his biotics active, the blue field shimmering around him at a low charge. With how conservative he’d been so far with his biotics, able to rely on Javik to balance them out biotically, he wasn’t too worried about his implant overheating anytime soon.

He cleared the rest of the room and three more after without hitting any opposition. Double-checking the map, he confirmed the correct path and headed toward that door. The door’s scanner activated and, once again, his Spectre status was all he needed. He took a quick cursory look through the room before stepping in, moving to the control panel and locking the door behind him.

Hearing shuffling from across the room somewhere outside his vision, the room being far from empty and open, Kaidan swung around with his weapon raised and ready to fire. He let his biotics fade as he moved toward where he figured the source to be, minimizing his own sound as best as he could being in armor that really wasn’t made to be stealthy, regardless of how light it was.

He came around the corner, sweeping his gun from left to right, then had to duck back around as he heard a rifle fire.

Leaning against the wall, he did a mental check to make sure he hadn’t been hit. “Great idea, not raising a Barrier, Alenko,” he chastised himself under his breath. He still would have went back for cover, mostly being startled by the shot, but at least it wouldn’t have mattered if the enemy was a better marksman.

Activating his omnitool, he focused in on the room he was in, getting a better idea of the layout as far as blueprints went, trying to get a location. The shot had definitely come from his right, but he’d only managed to see about half the room. He knew that where he’d been heading was in the direction he hadn’t managed to get an eye on so he was likely on the right track for a destination.

Just what he needed: to be heading the right way towards enemies by himself.

“Fucker,” he accused the clone as he looked away from his omnitool and flared his biotics again, focusing them in.

When he felt the field peak around him, he rolled out from behind the wall, stopping on his knees as he brought his arm in a horizontal arc in front of him to direct the release of the Push, allowing the excess energy to form a Barrier around him. He heard the report of a few shots just before there was a yelp as his opponent was hit, punctuated by the sound of a body hitting the floor.

He stood and moved forward quickly but hesitated when he saw who he’d hit.

“Brooks?” What was she doing here? She’d been sticking close to Shepard, so should have been in another part of the facility.

Dark eyes looked up to him and Kaidan caught something in her expression he didn’t think fit: rage. It changed quickly enough, shifting to a blend of relief and apprehension as it had been since they’d gotten to the archives. The shift just bugged Kaidan even more to see.

That wasn’t a shift of expression that should be seen on someone assigned to a desk. He knew it wasn't something he would have seen from himself when he was working as an Intel Officer.

Not to mention how interfering with comms and tampering with the door locks were entirely within Brooks’ area of expertise.

Not ignoring his suspicion, but keeping it under wraps, he stepped up to Brooks and held his hand out. She took it and accepted his help to stand. “You okay? As much force as I put into that Push, it could have broken ribs,” he asked as she shook herself off and regrouped.

“Yeah, I’m fine, Major. I’m so sorry I shot at you! I saw movement over there and just fired.” Her response was on par with what they’d seen of her so far.

“It’s not the worst habit to fire at somebody while around more enemies than allies. But what happened? Why are you here and not with Shepard?”

She leaned down and grabbed her own pistol from where it had come out of her grip and slid a few feet away. “We got split up a while ago and I’ve been focusing on trying to get a handle on what the clone is trying to accomplish here so I can cut him off. There’s just too much to the archives to narrow it down like I’d hoped. What about you? What happened to your squad?”

“They should be converging with the others soon enough. We were aiming for the storage area nearby here, just a few more rooms that way.”

“Oh yeah, I passed by that but didn’t head that way. I figured it wouldn’t be a good place to get caught.”

“Good call. But that’s where I’m headed and the other squads are converging there. Lead the way and I’ll cover you.”

Brooks looked back to him, her expression a bit more panicked. “What do you mean, ‘you’ll cover me’? I’m not a soldier, I’m an analyst and I’d very much like to not get shot, _again_. You go first.”

“You just came from the way we’re heading so I’d assume it was clear. Besides that, I’m still primarily classified as a Sentinel: I operate best in a defensive position. I can hold a Barrier over both of us and still take out enemies, but I need to be able to see you for that to happen. I can’t throw defensive biotics blind.”

And he wasn’t quite trusting the woman to be behind him at the moment, but that was better left unsaid.

“Fine, I’ll go first. But if I get shot, I’m court-martialing you for willful endangerment of an officer.”

“Analyst,” Kaidan corrected as he switched out for his rifle, checking the thermal clip with a glance and satisfied that it was nearly full. Too many distractions had made him forget how many rounds he had left. He fell into step a few feet back from Brooks, a bit farther than he’d normally be but not wanting to be within her reach and she led the way while he split his attention between their surroundings and his omnitool to make sure they were heading the way he wanted.

A few rooms later and his comms crackled suddenly, making Kaidan stop so he could focus in on if anything actually came through. He cupped his hand over his left ear in a last-ditch effort to pick something out but all he could manage was knowing that someone was talking. He was about to pull up his omnitool when he heard the door they’d been preparing to pass through open. He went to fix his grip on his rifle when it was knocked out of his loose grip, Brooks having charged in close in the moment of opportunity he’d allowed to be created.

He stepped back as he flared his biotics in a quick burst to knock her back again, the woman letting out a curse as she staggered back a few steps. He was about to let out a more focused one when he was stopped by seeing a rifle pointed right at him from the doorway, the weapon being held by the clone.

“I’d take a break if I were you,” the clone stated, smirking over the sight of his weapon at Kaidan as his biotics dispelled and he raised his hands in a show of surrender.

If he didn’t want anything from him, he would have shot him already, no matter how many times his lackeys had tried to take them out. For some reason, he wasn’t so keen to kill him now and that gave Kaidan enough reason to back off and see if he could find a time to get out of this a bit cleaner than his options now. He most likely could get out of the line of fire long enough to reach his pistol or even throw some biotics, but it wasn’t as guaranteed as he preferred.

This was opportunity anyway. He might get some intel out of the clone or Brooks, since he could now confirm that he’d been on the right track to be suspicious of her.

She’d played her part damn well, whatever it was.

“I gotta say, you’re damn resourceful for being some washed up spoon bender put way above his station,” the clone spat out. Kaidan grit his teeth at the voice: the tone and pitch were completely different than what he was familiar with, but the baseline was the same, almost like a corruption of what Kaidan knew and loved.

As it was, Kaidan gave the man a flat look at the generic insult. “That’s all you got to throw at me: the same jab I’ve been hearing for twenty years? I don’t think you’re done cooking. Maybe Cerberus should put you back in whatever oven they pulled you out of for a few more years, let you finish.”

The clone just gave him a cold look before waving Kaidan forward. “Let’s go. You’re insurance to keep the old model from charging in firing.”

“You haven’t needed anything like that yet, what with your insistence on trying to kill us. Why the change of heart?”

The man closed the distance between them and grabbed onto the thick lapel of his armor and shoved him toward the door, making a quick grab for Kaidan’s pistol, pulling it off the magnetic holster and securing it to his own hip. “I’ve got a better idea for handling you pains in the ass. Already took care of the rest of your pathetic friends.”

“Great, clone ingenuity at its best.”

He was given a rough push and he stumbled a bit to recover his balance. He glanced over at Brooks, who was smirking over at him with a look in her eyes closer to the one he'd briefly caught earlier. She then turned and walked ahead of them, her pace showing that she was meaning to reach wherever they were going with plenty of lead on them.

“I’ll get Shepard and his last lackeys to the platform,” she called back to her ally as the turned out of sight.

The hand on his collar urged Kaidan forward again and he moved. It would have been easy enough to get loose and fight back but without knowing where the gun was pointed, it was too much risk and the point was not to die.

So, he just had to figure that part out. And apparently this guy was much easier to piss off than John ever was, making it an even easier task.

“For someone claiming to be so much better than the original, you sure don’t seem capable of getting shit done without your mindless drones,” he said dismissively.

“Shut up,” the man snapped back.

“Then there’s Brooks. I will say, she plays the fool pretty well. Well enough that I’d wonder how much of it was acting and what she naturally comes by. I mean, who would choose to slap on too much medi-gel to handle taking a shot she ordered? She could have genuinely put herself out of commission for that bit, or didn’t she know.” And Kaidan knew that she had actually gotten shot and then applied too much medi-gel because he’d been the one to treat her once they got back to the apartment.

“Shut up,” was repeated behind him, the tone a bit shorter.

“What’s she getting out of this, anyway? She’s obviously not Alliance. And she’s a pretty shit start in your attempts to replace a competent crew.”

Kaidan went from being insistently guided forward to being thrown to the side, his shoulder slamming into the wall and he was barely able to keep his head from impacting as well. He allowed himself to fall to his knees, turning to press his back to the wall just as the clone stepped in close and grabbed hold of Kaidan’s neck and shoved him against the wall, impairing but not cutting off Kaidan’s breathing.

The clone shoved his face in Kaidan’s, familiar features marred by a level of hatred and apathy Kaidan couldn’t imagine Shepard being able to get close to pulling off. The more Kaidan saw of this Cerberus version of Commander John Shepard, the less he worried about ever thinking this impostor was the real deal.

A face and voice didn’t make the man and this copy had nothing on what Commander Shepard was capable of.

“You actually think you’re anything but fucking useless!” he growled at Kaidan. “She gives me what I need and that makes her better than any of you pathetic drones.”

“And here I thought your entire vendetta was about being jealous of what Shepard has.”

He felt a light pressure point against his chest, the barrel of the rifle being pressed into him. Well, he knew where the gun was, but now couldn’t do anything about it, not positioned as he was. Hell, he’d be better off if he’d gone all the way to the ground. And with the hand around his throat also keeping him on the brink of not being able to take in enough air to keep up his strong demeanor, he was even less capable of successfully fighting back.

“Like you?” Kaidan gave a bit of a confused look at that, not really expecting the clone to take that approach in his retort. “Oh, she told me all about you and Shepard, that you two shit on any chance of doing anything useful by fucking. What you thought it was bad luck that got you singled out here?”

“Well, yeah, that’s sort of what happened.” This guy really didn’t like that he wasn’t taking anything he said seriously if the flex of his fingers was any indication.

The clone’s expression shifted, losing much of the irritation, and his grip on Kaidan finally loosened. The biotic suppressed the urge to take in a deep breath at his windpipe opening up completely, but wouldn’t give this asshole the satisfaction.

And he was also a bit concerned at the expression he took on, suddenly looking predatory. He didn’t help the anxiety pass by sliding his fingers suggestively along Kaidan’s neck and up his cheek toward his hair. “I guess it can be the one thing he did right, screwing his way through the war with the Reapers with a human. And I guess your hole’s as good as any other option he’s got available. I bet it makes for a damn good turn-on when the person you’re plowing thinks you’re the best thing to happen to the galaxy. I imagine it’s quite the power trip, especially with how easy it is for you to snap someone’s neck without any effort.”

Kaidan couldn’t tell if that was an informed shot or just convenient phrasing. There’s no way Brooks was good enough to gain access to the original reports of BAaT where what he did to Vyrnnus was detailed.

The clone’s hand took a rough hold of Kaidan’s hair and pulled him forward, making Kaidan follow him to a standing position by the grip. In his frustration at being yanked around, Kaidan’s body glowed blue and he was about to lash out, damn the consequences, when he managed to get a hold of himself and dismiss the sting of hair getting pulled out. Too bad the asshole was wearing gloves or Kaidan would have been aiming to kill the nerve endings in his hand.

Blue eyes narrowed a bit, obviously having noticed the flare, but Kaidan decided to keep up his own approach. “Go ahead, keep pushing me around. You’ll know just how easily I can snap your neck. I don’t even need much effort for the physiological motions.”

The clone smirked again, adding on a short chuckle as well. “You pull off the act just fine, but you’re the straight-laced boring one.” He moved in close to Kaidan’s ear, the biotic actually rolling his eyes at the guy’s insistence to his own act of being a creepy asshole. It’s not like he’d actually go through with anything like he was implying. “You couldn’t kill me.”

“No, I couldn’t kill Shepard. You, I’m just fine with killing.”

The clone pulled away enough to yell in Kaidan’s face, “I am Shepard!”

Deciding it was worth the headache he’d be getting later anyway, Kaidan pulled his head back to ease some of the pressure on the grip in his hair, feeling it loosen just enough and then surged forward to headbutt the clone right on the bridge of the nose. The clone cringed away from the impact, letting go of Kaidan and standing before taking hold of his rifle in both hands and then struck the butt of the gun into Kaidan’s head, luckily striking him on the top of his head where the skull did its job to protect him. It still hurt like hell and Kaidan curled a bit to the side as he clenched his fists against the point of impact.

Before he was really past the sting and slight dizziness, he was pulled to his feet and pushed forward once again.

“I’m looking forward to you being dead more and more.”

Kaidan allowed himself to be shoved around without struggling, deciding it wasn’t worth it. He was pretty sure his head was bleeding, but the wave of dizziness was passing so it was likely he didn’t get a concussion out of the exchange. Too bad he hadn’t broken the clone’s nose. He didn’t bother keeping track of where they were going or trying to find an opportunity to strike out again. He’d wait until the clone got him back in the same room as Shepard where he could get some back-up.

It was only when the clone yanked at Kaidan to stop him that he opened his eyes and took in his surroundings. They were in a nondescript hallway right next to the threshold of a wider door. Brooks was standing a few feet away, the two taking a second to glare at each other before she looked over his shoulder and nodded.

“He should be coming across the room at any moment. Don’t catch him too far back or he’ll be outside the containment field,” she instructed, though to Kaidan it sounded like she was giving instructions to a civilian, or even a kid.

There was no respect there, no camaraderie, no emotion.

They wouldn’t lose against these two, even if they had some rough spots in getting to that end.

There was the faint sound of a door opening across the large room, barely audible because of the distance, only heard because of the echo through the room. The rifle’s barrel was pressed against the back of Kaidan’s head and he walked out around the corner and just into the next room, seeing the expansive storage portion of the facility off to the right.

And Shepard was running towards the two with Garrus and Wrex following behind, all three with their weapons drawn but not raised, not pointing a weapon at an ally.

Too bad they didn’t see them soon enough that Garrus could have stuck behind and put his sniping skills to good use.

“Kaidan, you alright?” Shepard asked, his voice tense in a way that revealed how concerned and pissed he was.

Kaidan gave a slight shrug in response, figuring actually saying something would likely get him concussed or shot. The clone pushed on his shoulder and Kaidan took a few steps forward.

He made deliberate eye contact with Shepard, then looked off to the left without turning his head: could he get clear without any of them getting shot? It wasn’t just a concern for himself but the other squad was in the line of fire if he just moved to the side. And he could see Wrex didn’t have an active Barrier over them, though that wasn’t too surprising: last Kaidan knew, Wrex hadn’t developed anything more than the most basic of Barriers that didn’t last all that long.

Shepard’s eyes dropped, as did Garrus’, so he definitely wasn’t going to be able to open a line of fire for them.

Looks like he’d just have to let this play out a bit more.

The squad was still moving forward, closing as much distance as the clone would allow, reminding Kaidan of what Brooks had said about making sure they got to a certain point. But with his hands in sight of the clone, he didn’t have a way of signaling to Shepard without getting found out: you didn’t need to know what the gestures meant to know communication was happening and the clone would be intelligent enough to pick up on it.

So, when the field activated around Shepard, Kaidan took half a step forward in reaction to try and protect his partner and friends. Before he could get anywhere, he was shoved off to the side at an angle where he couldn’t catch himself. He heard the report of a rifle firing off a few rounds and he moved quickly to get his feet under him, getting to a knee before glancing over to the doorway they’d come through and noticed Brooks holding her gun on him. She was still out of sight of the squad, though.

“Kaidan!” he heard Shepard call to him.

“You really are pathetic, getting your ass handed to you just because your pretty little fuck buddy was in the way,” the clone taunted and Kaidan rolled his eyes this time around. This guy was almost a cliché. “You just give everything you’re affiliated with a bad name. But don’t worry, I’ll get things back on track.”

“Others know about you,” Shepard shot back to the clone, turning his focus on the enemy, likely accepting that Kaidan was in less danger at the moment and trying to keep focus off of him. It was a very typical thing for him to try. “The Alliance will stop you.”

The clone glanced over to Kaidan before crossing his arms and looking smug. “What do you think, Staff Analyst Brooks? Will the Alliance stop us?”

The woman stepped out and strutted up next to the clone, taking her gun off Kaidan, though the angle they were at meant he couldn’t do anything too obvious without getting their attention and guns back on him. “I wouldn’t know. I don’t actually work for the Alliance.”

Shepard would keep them talking, the pair obviously more than ready to reveal how superior they were, so Kaidan ignored what they were saying to some extent, taking it in but not wasting focus by splitting it. If he could be subtle enough with his glowing, he could get a Barrier up to take a shot or two and then get in a good enough strike to get the other three out of the containment field. He could even see the control panel just a few feet away and it shouldn’t be too extreme on security.

So, he built up a small charge, keeping the focal point around his implant so it shouldn’t be visible. Once he knew he could keep the point focused, he brought the focal point further down his spine and built up a little more, watching out for the distortion around his vision he was so used to ignoring since they showed up every time his biotic field manifested. All the while, he kept his eyes on the gloating pair, making sure they didn’t look his way.

The energy he’d built was barely enough to form a complete Barrier, let alone one that would dissipate impact, but he couldn’t increase power without the field showing around him. There was just the slightest bit of ripples around his peripherals, like looking at a car putting off heat, so it was close to being visible.

Okay, so maybe if he just made a partial Barrier and hoped they’d go for a fatal shot he could pull this off.

He was about to shift the energy to spread out over the most vital targets when Brooks looked over and must have realized he was doing something because that’s all it took for her to turn her gun back on him and fire two rounds.

He’d tried to get the Barrier formed in time, but there was only so much he could do. The second shot was the more dangerous of the two, aimed for his heart and that second between trigger pulls was all he needed for the Barrier to form. But that first shot, made while she was still swinging the gun into position, hit him without anything but his armor to slow it down. Sure, the armor did it’s job of absorbing a good amount of the impact to keep the bullet from going all the way through, but it still pierced the front, entering Kaidan’s shoulder just below the collarbone.

He let out a groan of pain as he clutched at his shoulder, curling away a bit in reaction. He hadn’t been shot in a really long time and he’d sort of forgotten how bad that shit hurt. And he’d have to fish out the bullet before applying medi-gel if he didn’t want to deal with minor surgery. He was pretty sure he’d gotten off pretty easy though, the bullet not lodging in any bones or nicking an artery, so there was something in his favor.

“You, Major Alenko, are far more trouble than you are worth,” Brooks said to him haughtily. “I’m just about done with him.” She turned back to the clone as she finished and he gave her a smirk.

Kaidan took the second to look over to Shepard and make sure he wasn’t trying anything stupid just because Kaidan had taken a bullet.

Well, he wasn’t trying to throw a grenade at the containment field, so that was good. The expression on his face, though, now that was something that everyone should be afraid of seeing because it was downright homicidal.

He didn’t have a chance to try and calm his partner down as he became aware of the clone stepping up to him and punching him a few times until Kaidan was a bit too dizzy to keep track of what was going on anymore, lingering just on the brink of awareness.

At some point, he felt himself be dragged around, stumbling as he tried to get enough control back to his limbs to do _something_ useful, but he was just feeling the hits too much still.

He wasn’t moved too far and a few seconds after he was dropped back down to the ground and landing on his right side causing another flare of pain at the impact against his wound, he heard a hum surround him and suddenly the ground was moving under him, taking him along for the ride. He got disoriented trying to follow the motion of the floor and then everything went dark around him, closing him off from his surroundings in a really unsettling way.

The clone had mentioned something about sealing them away in iridium vaults, so Kaidan figured his situation was just a promise being kept.

Once he was mostly sure that everything stopping physically moving, he rolled over onto his back and opened his eyes to see no difference, his enclosure being completely dark as it had seemed. He reached into one of the pockets to his left side and pulled out the extra flashlight he kept. He turned it on and set it on the floor pointed towards his feet to reflect off the walls without making his head feel worse.

He also activated his omnitool and started a scan of himself to get a more accurate readout besides his own quick diagnosis. As he waited, he sat up and started to release the clasps on his armor, needing a bit more space to work. He felt an indent next to the clasp on the chest plate and looked down to make out a mark from another bullet, revealing that his Barrier had just barely done its job of stopping that second shot. He dismissed the issue quickly enough: “barely” still meant it worked so no point in dwelling on it when he had work to do. His omnitool displayed the results of the scan as he pulled the thick layer off from his chest. Looking over the readout, he was relieved to see that the bullet wound was confirmed to not be more serious and he could fix himself up enough to finish off this mission.

Which was good, because he officially had a score to settle now. Nobody used him like that.

He removed his left gauntlet and glove, then pulled out an antiseptic pad from one of his pockets to wipe his face off and finished off with an application of medi-gel to the worst of the wounds. This was mostly to stop any blood flow from getting in his way, especially since he had a pretty good cut over his left brow that was bleeding constantly like head-wounds tended to do.

Turning his attention to his shoulder, he grabbed a multitool from another pocket, this one geared toward medical needs. He opened up one of the smaller knives on it, ran an antiseptic pad over the blade before reaching under the armor to clean up his shoulder a bit, then went to work to get the bullet out.

It took another minute or so and he’d had to apply a little medi-gel before he finished for the numbing agent to be of some use, but he succeeded in pulling out the bullet without causing himself more damage, then got the wound cleaned, covered in medi-gel, bandaged, and then sealed back up under his armor.

He did a few rotations with the shoulder joint and pressed against his armor to test his capabilities, letting out a sigh as he decided he should either avoid using rifles or shoot left-handed. It was more an inconvenience than an impossibility for both options, so that was at least a relief.

Figuring he didn’t have to worry about finding a way out, trusting Shepard to have that covered, he leaned his back against a nearby panel and closed his eyes again, controlling his breathing and relaxing to be that little bit better off in the fight to come.

* * *

_To: Commander John Shepard_

_From: Major Kaidan Alenko_

_RE: Are you coming back to the apartment?_

_I’ll be there soon. Chakwas is satisfied enough to release me._

 

“Soon” from Kaidan usually meant less than half an hour, so Shepard settled on the couch next to the fire and finished off the leftover pizza James had left behind.

It also meant he settled in to process more of all the shit they’d just been subjected to.

He was seriously considering sending a message to Anderson saying that he was never allowed to order them on shore leave again if this is what happened as a result. Shepard’s scheduled-in-transit-to-the-Citadel shore leaves that barely qualified as such was apparently the way to go for the Normandy crew. Anything that went through official channels got them facing off against a Cerberus-engineered clone and his partner and once in a lifetime was enough for that sort of mindfuck.

But everything had been resolved. The clone was dead, Brooks was dead, Shepard’s file at the archives had been restored, and EDI was working on some new security protocols that they could utilize to ensure nothing like this happened again.

Most importantly, all his friends were okay. Kaidan was okay.

Nothing like what happened today to throw in his face the most dangerous aspect of having someone he loved be on the battlefield. Kaidan was damn good at what he did, easily one of the best soldiers Shepard had ever had the honor of serving with, right along with James, Steve, Jacob, and Ash. But no amount of skill could protect against everything and Shepard didn’t know if he could keep his composure like he did today if the man he loved was ever put in the position he’d been with that copy pointing a gun at him.

Hell, the only reason he’d kept his composure as well as he had was because Wrex and Garrus had been there paying attention to Kaidan and using the field between them to cover keeping Shepard aware of what was going on with the biotic without having to watch him: those moments of having races with sharper senses than humans had been the greatest asset to him for not losing his cool today.

So, he’d ended up getting more pissed off about Kaidan getting shot and beat up than worried, assured that the field medic would be able to fix himself up. And then when they found and released Kaidan from one of the containers about ten minutes later, the biotic patiently waiting for Shepard to get him out, Shepard had seen the determination in those brown eyes and knew that however Kaidan spoke his next words, it’d basically be an order.

And he’d said in his command voice, “I’m with you to take those assholes out.”

And he had been, taking Liara’s pistol as they, along with Wrex, had returned to the Normandy to face off against the impostor once and for all.

And then Kaidan hadn’t hesitated to shoot Brooks as she made a run for it.

Chakwas had gotten there a few minutes later, having been told by Liara while they were in transit about Kaidan’s wound, so he’d been ordered to sickbay for a full treatment from her.

It was likely that this was just Shepard’s concern finally catching up to him now that the danger had passed. It wouldn’t be the first time that either one of them had gotten hit like this concerning what had happened on a mission. Shepard just hoped it’d pass easily enough once he had some time alone with Kaidan where he didn’t have to curb his actions for proprieties sake of other people being around.

The door beeped, alerting him of an access code being used to unlock it, and he stood up as Kaidan stepped in, turning off his omnitool and shoving his right hand in the pocket of his hoodie.

It was always a welcome sight to have Kaidan out of uniform, even if it was just a simple jeans and Alliance hoodie over black t-shirt, and Shepard couldn’t help the slight grin that lifted the corner of his mouth.

Kaidan looked over to him, his brown eyes warming immediately once they made eye contact, and he closed the distance between them to give Shepard a firm kiss, his left hand curling around the slightly taller man’s neck to hold him against him. Shepard’s hands slid along Kaidan’s hips, dipping under the shirts to rub along warm skin, avoiding jostling the stationary right arm, settling at either side of Kaidan’s spine just above the line of his pants. Kaidan deepened the kiss, licking his way into Shepard’s mouth and giving a determined taste, to Shepard’s delight; he loved it when his partner took the initiative like this and it was happening with increased regularity, Kaidan becoming more confident in their relationship.

Really, any situation where Kaidan showed strength and confidence was welcome and hot as hell.

After about a minute, Kaidan had apparently reached some measure of satisfaction as he eased off a bit, nudging his tongue against Shepard’s to encourage him to fill Kaidan’s mouth instead. Shepard took advantage of the invitation and pressed his body firmly against Kaidan’s as he took his turn to run his tongue along the biotic’s teeth and tongue, finding those spots that got a hitch of breath or a deep moan from the man he loved.

It took Shepard another minute or two of kissing and caressing to satisfy himself enough to back off for now; he wouldn’t actually be done with Kaidan until they spent some quality time with each other in bed. Though Shepard would gladly take that time on one of the couches or the shower if Kaidan was amenable.

Kaidan was nicely worked up, his breathing a bit labored and he was pressing back against Shepard just as insistently, his hand massaging up and down the back of Shepard’s skull as it usually did when he was answering the urge to just touch the man. And even though they weren’t kissing anymore, their lips were resting together with their breath mingling, their eyes closed as they reined themselves back in a bit. It wasn’t often that they just jumped into sex and there were some things they needed to talk about before they headed that way now.

Kaidan shifted the position of his head, resting his forehead more against Shepard’s cheek, taking on a downward angle revealing he had a headache though it was definitely on the milder end of the spectrum.

“That was hot,” Shepard muttered against Kaidan’s skin while fighting off a grin.

Kaidan huffed, amused. “You sound like a teenager.”

Fighting the smile wasn’t possible anymore. “That was fucking hot?”

“You’re definitely a teenager.”

“What can I say? You bring out the horny in me.” He gave Kaidan’s temple a quick kiss before adding, “I heard that eye roll.”

“Good, because it was pretty loud.” Kaidan placed one last kiss on Shepard’s chin as he straightened his posture, giving Shepard a smile.

“You want something to eat?” Shepard asked as the biotic stepped away then moved to sit on the couch and leaned down to work his boots off.

It was something Shepard found interesting about the biotic: when in the apartment, Kaidan preferred not wearing his shoes, revealing that his family didn’t wear shoes in the house growing up, that being home meant shoes were off.

“No, Chakwas made me down some protein gel packs before I left, so I won’t be interested in food for easily the next twelve hours. My numbers were stable, but I’m pretty sure she was just getting even for me doing most of the work on my injuries for her.”

“Boosting your calorie intake is getting even?”

“Have you ever had those gel packs?” Shepard shook his head. The gel packed more calories that were absorbed into the body faster, so they were used more commonly in emergencies for biotics, the only more immediate method being through an IV. “Believe me, it’s revenge. There’s not even a half-assed attempt to add taste like the bars.”

Shepard couldn’t help but laugh and Kaidan didn’t even manage a slight glare through his own amusement.

His gaze actually turned toward the windows, he realized he hadn’t drawn the shades yet and both of them liked the view of the Citadel, so he moved toward the controls, saying over his shoulder to Kaidan, “What’s the rest of the word from Chakwas?”

“She wasn’t happy that I went into a firefight after taking a bullet and multiple hits to the head. I don’t really blame her, especially with the higher risk of getting a concussion I have because of what happened on Mars. But she checked my implant and everything checks out. No inflammation around any of the tech, no concussion, and the bullet was a clean penetration and removal. But if there’s another issue for the rest of shore leave, I’m not allowed to be assigned: medical leave in addition to shore leave for seventy-two hours.”

“How will you ever survive?” Shepard joked as the shades rose and revealed the lights of the Citadel.

“With great difficulty, I’m sure. Though I figure I can tag you in for some boyfriend duties to help in the struggle.”

Shepard crossed his arms as he turned back toward Kaidan and leaned against the ledge that lined the length of the windows, the biotic having finished removing his shoes and standing to face Shepard again. With the light coming in through the windows and Shepard not distracted, he couldn’t help but focus on the marks on Kaidan’s face. The most prominent was a gash just above his left brow, the bruising not too bad because of it having bled openly for quite a while according to Kaidan. But there was also a smaller cut on his right cheek that was now a dark blue, the discoloration creeping up enough to be a black eye. The black eye would have been guaranteed, though, as he’d taken a hit right to the bridge of his nose, lucky that his nose hadn’t broken, but it had hardly bled so both eyes were going to be showing that hit. Then there was some discoloration on Kaidan’s neck, lighter than what was on his face, but Shepard didn’t remember seeing where that could have come from, though there weren’t many options on what left that sort of mark and his stomach churned a little.

Shepard must have gotten a bit too focused, because he didn’t realize that Kaidan had walked over to him until he reached up and touched his hand to Shepard’s cheek.

“You good?” he asked, those two words opening up any variety of answers Shepard could give.

Shepard thought over all that he wanted to talk to Kaidan about, trying to narrow it down to what really mattered instead of what had freaked him out.

“I haven’t asked you what you thought about the whole ‘Cerberus made a clone of me’ thing.”

Kaidan didn’t seem too surprised by his response, even seeming to relax a bit as though he’d expected Shepard to approach the subject. They’d known each other long enough, he likely had.

“Am I surprised that the Illusive Man had a fallback plan, no. Did I think it’d be an as far as we can tell perfect physical clone, also no.” Kaidan started smoothly enough, but seemed to slow down as his thoughts maybe caught up with what he was saying. “He wasn’t you, John. He couldn’t have been you if he tried.”

Shepard gave a half-grin at that. “Did you just miss the whole part about him changing my records in the archives or stealing the Normandy?”

“Those aren’t you, though. Last time I checked, it wasn’t what a computer said that actually made a person who they were.” Kaidan let his hand move from Shepard’s cheek to his chest, hooking his finger on the neck of the shirt to hang his hand there. “Don’t get all insecure on me about this.”

“What if he was right, Kaid? What if what the galaxy needs now is someone willing to do whatever it takes to beat the Reapers? I’ve made plenty of mistakes along the way to see the sense in what he was saying.”

Kaidan’s expression got a little pinched at that and Shepard wondered why: it was one of those expressions that came out when Kaidan was covering his emotions. It wasn’t something he pulled with Shepard too often.

“Let me get this straight. You think that what the galaxy needs to fight the Reapers is someone who only cares about humans surviving?” That was a good point, and one that Shepard had been making sure he kept in mind. “He wasn’t the kind of person that would have put in any effort into anybody but the humans. He and Brooks made that painfully obvious.”

Kaidan let go of Shepard, turning to lean against the ledge next to Shepard as he released a deep sigh.

“The question on the table is what I thought about the clone.” Shepard thought he’d already answered that, or at least something similar enough, but he wouldn’t dissuade Kaidan from telling him something. Not when Kaidan so often said the things he needed to hear. “He’s what I was afraid you had become when the Illusive Man brought you back.”

Shepard…really didn’t know what to say to that.

“It’s not just that he was a xenophobic asshole, but he put effort into making sure he could get a chance to use the person you love against you. And he tried to use his face against me.”

Shepard turned a bit toward Kaidan at that, suddenly a bit more worried about what had happened while Kaidan was being held by that fucker. “What’d he do?” he practically growled.

Kaidan chuckled at the reaction. “He’s dead, John, remember? And he didn’t really do anything, just made some pretty strong implications that he was willing to consider me worth fucking. Yeah, I was doing a great job of pissing him off and making it worse, but I can’t actually say that if he had the time that he wouldn’t do it just to get that one more thing over you. He was vindictive, uncaring, horrible with people, violent, xenophobic, focused, intelligent, damn good in a fight, and willing to do more than most people to get the results he set his mind to. Lucky for you, the important traits on that list are the ones you don’t share with him.”

Kaidan leaned over toward Shepard, his left hand reaching across to cup Shepard’s right cheek as he kissed his left. He straightened up and moved to walk away. “The hot tub sounds like a good idea after today,” he said, a terseness to his voice that revealed his nerves had caught up to what he’d said and he was fighting embarrassment at some part of what he’d said.

Shepard caught him before he got more than a step away, wrapping both arms around Kaidan’s waist, grabbing one wrist in the other hand to pull Kaidan firmly back against him. Kaidan let his weight rest against Shepard, leaning back so he was lined up from his shoulders all the way down to where their legs intertwined just a bit. Shepard leaned his head forward and rested his forehead against the back of Kaidan’s neck, nuzzling a bit at the base of his skull just above the sensitive area around his implant. Kaidan’s arms both rested over Shepard’s, sharing the embrace even as he was faced away.

Shepard took in a deep breath, using Kaidan’s familiar scent to calm himself down just that little bit more.

The clone was dead. It didn’t matter what he’d done to Kaidan because he couldn’t do anything else. That’s what Shepard had to keep telling himself because that’s how _Kaidan’s_ mind worked. Kaidan moved on, so he would too.

He just needed a bit more time than Kaidan did.

“Damn, I love you,” he said in a whisper thick with emotion. “I just really, really love you.”

Kaidan interlocked the fingers of his left hand together with Shepard’s right one. “I believe you. I always have. And I love you too, John. More than anything. And I swear this is the last time someone gets so far in using it against us.”

“Eh, let ‘em. It’ll just guarantee they’re gonna get their asses kicked.”

Shepard was pretty sure he got another eye roll for that. Oh well, he got that response from Kaidan all the time and it’d lost its impact on him, besides giving him a good laugh. It helped that he was in a comfortable position with Kaidan resting against him and there would likely never be a day that didn’t automatically put him in a better mood.

After a few minutes though, it seemed like Kaidan was ready to change things up. “Not that I’m complaining about this, but I really do want to take advantage of that hot tub you’ve got. I haven’t showered, I smell like my armor, I’m covered in sweat and blood, and I’m sore as hell.”

“That’s not complaining?” Shepard teased, then grunted as Kaidan shifted his grip on his hand to bend one of his fingers backwards and twist enough to strain the joint enough to sting. Shepard let go of the man and shook his hand out as Kaidan stepped away. Never let it be said that Kaidan always took the expected route on his retorts.

“No, it’s not. It’s stating facts.” Kaidan turned around to look at Shepard, his expression inviting. “I’m surprised you’re not more in agreement on this. You’re turning down getting your hands on me, for starters, while we’re naked.”

Shepard pushed himself off the ledge and walked past Kaidan toward the stairs. “You didn’t say I was invited. Let’s go.”

Kaidan laughed behind him but Shepard heard him following so he didn’t really care, except to be beyond content that Kaidan was happy and here.

The clone debacle would likely be a running joke for a while between the crew and Shepard, but that would just blend into everything else they teased him about. They’d won and could move on to the next fight. Hell, they were probably stronger for what they’d just been subjected to.

His clone could insult them all he wanted, he couldn’t be more wrong about the people Shepard surrounded himself with. He had friends that chose to stand with him, even at the risk of death, and they were all worth him putting his own life on the line to protect. He could turn his back to any of them and not be worried about them shooting it.

So, while he felt empathy for the clone, not seeing any of that in anyone because of who he’d spent his entire life around, he’d chosen to stay on that course. He hadn’t let himself see any other way to be, like John had once he’d left the streets for the Alliance.

And as Shepard watched Kaidan moving more carefully in getting undressed than usual, counting all the marks he’d been left with because of the clone, he decided once and for all that he didn’t regret that they hadn’t saved him.

Sure, Shepard didn’t tend to have a mean streak, but nobody fucked with his crew and definitely not the man he loved with all his heart and kept the right to get off easy.

He’d make sure no one they ever dealt with would be mistaken about that fact.

**Author's Note:**

> Whatcha think?  
> I considered adding in a bit of smut there at the end, but it didn't really feel right. I've only posted one sex scene between these guys in A Touch of the Past and want to do another one for them because they are just so freaking hot and great to write a sex scene for, but including one hasn't felt right with any of the fics in this series yet. One-shot goals: have one of these where a sex scene fits the tone of the fic!  
> Feel free to send more prompts or any feedback my way through comments. Thank you for reading, and I'll see you next time!  
> Kira Dattei


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